


Stranded

by janus_74 (tanner)



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, New Year's Eve, Shore Leave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-03-25 14:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3813556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tanner/pseuds/janus_74
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>McCoy and Chapel find themselves together for New Years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stranded

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted for for Leanstein in the 2011 mccoy_chapel Christmas fic exchange on LJ.

“Chapel to Enterprise. Two to beam back.” Christine looked up at the sky expectantly.

Silence was the only answer to her request.

“Chapel to Enterprise. Two to beam back.” she repeated, shooting a worried glance towards McCoy who had stopped fidgeting with his shoulder pack when they didn't answer the first time.

No tell-tale sparkle of light followed by the tingle of molecules forced apart against their will and then thrust through space in a way that was against the natural order of things.

Perfect, McCoy thought. He fished the communicator out of his pocket and stabbed the call button, “McCoy to Enterprise. Do you copy?”

A crackle finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

“Bones! We’ve got a bit of a problem bringing you guys back.” The captains voice came through the comm unit.

Mccoy sighed, “How’s that exactly?”

A pause and then a burst of static. “--don't worry though, we've got it all under control..”

“Jim, What the hell is going on?”

A longer pause, followed by static and what sounded like a crash. “-Damn it! It’s nothing. Really.”

“I’ve been gone less than an hour. How is it possible that you’ve gotten into trouble that fast?”

“Well, it’s funny really.” This time it sounded like he was standing inside of a tube.

“Jim, where are you?”

“See, that’s the funny part. Cratin 7.”

Chapel looked up at him sharply and he swore under his breath before replying. “How did you manage to get to the other side of the NEXT system in an hour?” He paused, but only for a second. “No wait--I don’t care. When are you going to get back here and pick us the hell up?”

“Scotty! Bones wants to know how long it’ll take?” They heard the chief engineer faintly in the background, “Two weeks to crawl back to the space station, maybe a week to fix her up.”

“He says a day, maybe two tops. Look, I'll have Janice set everything up for you and send you the details--damn, that's hot. Bones, I gotta go. Have fun, get some rest, consider this an unexpected shore leave. Kirk out”

The comm unit fell silent, McCoy counted to ten in as many languages as he knew before looking over at Chapel.

She raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, and for that he was thankful, at least he wasn't stuck on some god-forsaken planet with a babbling first year ensign that peed his pants at the first sign of trouble.

~*~

Christine dug her toes in the sand, deeper and deeper until she felt the cool against her feet. When she closed her eyes and felt the sun warm her skin she could almost imagine she was back on Earth, back feeling the tides pull gently at her body. She missed that, being on the Enterprise.

She leaned back on her elbows, tilting her head to the sky, trying to soak up as much of the sunshine as possible. When the opportunity to be part of the away team came up she jumped at it. Even though, as McCoy vehemently and repeatedly told her, it was beneath her to be collecting samples like a rookie. She laughed when not two hours later he had beamed down to deliver a small supply of vaccines.

“You didn’t have to bring them yourself Doctor.” she teased, as he handed her the small medical pouch.

“Well--” he stalled.

She tapped him lightly with the package, “Wouldn’t you say that it’s beneath you to hand deliver basic medical supplies?”

“Fine. You win. I could use a little sun time myself.” he had the good grace to at least blush at being caught out.

It always felt good to be right, she thought and dug her feet deeper into the earth.

Unexpected shore leave, for whatever reason, never happened on nice planets...well, it never happened as a regularity, but even if it did, it was always on ice planets...or ones without air. Or icey-non air planets balancing on the brink of global war. So she resolved to make the most of whatever time they had here.

“You’ll burn, sitting out here like that.”

“Thank you doctor. I never would have thought of that without you.” She said dryly, and then made a shooing motion with her hand. “You’re blocking my sun.”

McCoy took a long look up to the sky before dropping down beside her.

“There you go.” she smiled over at him, “Now, just sit back and relax.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Christine peaked over at McCoy. He was leaning on one arm and staring out across the water, a faint frown on his brow. Here's a man that just can't let go, she thought.

“What’s wrong now?” she sighed.

“Looks right,” he nodded towards the sea, “sounds right ...well right enough. But something’s wrong -missing.” he shrugged.

They stared at the water for a while longer. “No salt.” she interrupted the silence.

“Excuse me?”

She turned towards him, “there’s no salt in the water, that's why we were collecting samples, to see if we could replicate similar plants to those on Earth. Since the oceans here aren't salt water it’s not in the air. It smells wrong. That’s what’s bothering you.” She reclined again and sighed, "God I've missed this. You have no idea how many times I've wanted to lay out all day in the sun."

"Looks like you got your wish," he said, not without a bit of frustration.

"Yes I did." she smiled over at him. "And I suggest that you enjoy it while you can Doctor. I know I will."

~*~

Chapel was correct, as usual, McCoy thought, as he sat in the sand and waited for the message from the Enterprise. She might be the most advanced ship in the fleet, but there were certain things that couldn't be replicated or artificially simulated. The feel of heat seeping into his body was one of those; a lifetime of Georgia summers had left their mark. As much as he complained, he loved the warmth on his skin and the oppressive wall of heat that greeted him every time he left his climate controlled home.

But as much as he needed the reminder of a home he'd left forever, he most certainly didn't need to be reminded of long hot, sticky, sweaty summers while in the company of his head nurse. Someone who also appreciated the lure of a hot southern night and had more often lately been invading his thoughts and dreams in an entirely unprofessional manner.

A chirp from the shoulder pack he abandoned in the sand broke his reflection, McCoy rummaged through the contents, picked up his PADD and scrolled through the concise message;

_Doctor McCoy,_

_Please find attached the arrangements for your stay on Tarin 2, also included is the away team directives and planet dossier. All personnel are accounted for, their team leader will communicate the details with them. Our detour to Cratin 7 resulted in only minor injuries, a full report will be provided to you. You and Chapel may consider yourselves off duty for the duration._

_J. Rand, for J. Kirk._

He tossed the PADD in the general direction of the pack and leaned back in the sand. He would really love to know what the hell happened up there.

~*~

Two hours and a full briefing from his head nurse on the local officials and customs of the area, Chapels' message was obviously more complete than his, they were picked up by the local security detail and escorted to the nearest village. They met briefly with the local in charge, "Governor," Chapel whispered to him as they climbed out of the transport vehicle. And were directed to their accommodations, along with an invitation to attend the local festival the next evening.

"Of course, we're honoured to attend, Governor." Chapel smiled at the elder man and McCoy couldn't help thinking she would have been an excellent companion to that bastard Korby if he hadn't been such an ass.

"Before assuming the star date system," she continued as they walked along a rough roadway that lead towards the water. "Earth had a similar festival to celebrate the end of the calendar year, it was a way remember the accomplishments of the previous year and celebrate the upcoming new year."

Not long after, they stood in the entry of their home for the next days...or weeks, depending on who's time estimates he was trusting. The accommodation was functional, simple in its lines, but had a natural beauty that he never found in the artificial world of the Enterprise. Four bedrooms surrounded a common living area, presumably two of them for the other crew members stranded on the planet with them.

“Ladies first,” he gestured to the rooms. She poked her head into each, determining the pro’s and cons of each choice, he knew, before setting on the furthest from the rest....closest to the water.

“Your turn now doctor.” she said as she emerged from the bedroom. He tossed his shoulder pack into the nearest room. She looked at him unbelievingly, “Really? You’re not even going to look?”

“Whatever it is, I’ve slept in worse. As long as it's not a cot in a supply closet of a hospital, I'll be okay.” he forced a smile to take the harshness out of his words. Truth was, he would rather be here with her than stuck on some airless frozen ice planet for two weeks.

He tried to ignore the sudden visual of being stuck on a frozen ice planet in a single cot supply room with his head nurse.

~*~

The next evening the festivities were in full swing, they spent the afternoon in the town market, browsing the items for sale in the stalls and sampling the local delicacies made available to them by inquisitive farmers who had learned some Federation crew members were staying on the planet. Christine even dragged him clothes shopping, stating that if they were going to participate in the festivities they needed to dress the part as well, Federation regs wouldn't do.

And that's how he found himself sitting across a table from his head nurse, who was wearing a traditional dress, which, quite frankly, would have been outlawed in some other planets they had visited.

She sipped her drink and looked over the table to take in the growing crowd, "Did you still celebrate new years when you were on earth?"

"When we were kids, yeah." he toyed absently with his straw, "and then the first few years Jocelyn and I did, but then--" that’s when things started to go bad, he thought. He downed the rest of his drink and motioned towards the bar. God, he hadn't thought about it for years, but those were good times, celebrating the old traditions of the season, having the excuse to get together with friends and family, laughing and loving...

Standing quickly, that line of thinking wouldn't do him any good here, he grabbed their glasses and moved towards the bar. He'd been glad for the routine the Enterprise provided, no time to dwell on the past. No time to remember what was lost.

A quick nod to the bartender was all he needed to get their drinks refilled, and as the full glasses were put before him the crowd started to gather and cheer at the far end of the area. Not long after the night air was filled with a joyful, albeit unfamiliar, song. He leaned against the bar and watched couple after enthusiastic couple join hands and walk out to the dance floor.

He glanced over to were Chapel was sitting and was mesmerized by the sight. She sat in a glow, the small lights strung around the area reflected off of her hair, making it shine like spun gold. She leaned lightly on her hand, elbow on the table, how very improper, he thought. Not at all like a lady from the south. She smiled as the couples started to dance around each other, obviously part of a well known, ancient routine. When she turned towards him, her smile became a beam and he was lost.

Completely lost in the simple smile from the most incredible woman he'd known in a long time.

Well...hell.

Hell and back.

And hell again, one last time for good measure. He knew himself well enough that this wasn't a fleeting feeling. He also knew that nothing about the situation would be easy...even if the lady in question was also interested. He froze for a second--if she wasn't interested...well that would be awkward. Not as awkward as an entire town knowing every intimate detail of your marriage, downfall and divorce, he scolded himself. Besides, he pushed himself off of the bar where he'd been standing far too long, there was no need to borrow trouble.

Not yet anyway.

"Care to dance doctor?" Chapel asked as he placed the cold drink in front of her.

He looked towards the growing crowd on the dance floor. The music had changed to a beat he at least recalled from his Academy days, even if he couldn't remember the steps. Still, it wasn't something he was comfortable bluffing his way through.

He slid back into his seat before replying, "Hate to tell you, Chapel. I don't dance. Never have, ask Jim how many times I disappointed his misguided and completely ridiculous attempts at the academy."

She tossed her head back and laughed, "As it happens, I have heard the stories. And I also know that a good southern gentleman would never say no to a lady."

"A lady wouldn't ask."

"A lady should never be put into a position to have to," she countered and indicated towards the dance floor.

"Are you questioning my upbringing, Nurse Chapel?" he couldn't help hide his grin.

She leaned back in her chair and transformed herself into a perfect astonished southern belle, "Why Doctor McCoy, I would never do such a thing." Then she burst into laughter, and he tried to remain stoic but her giggles were infectious and before long he joined in with her.

After the laughter died down he pushed away from the table and stood formally in front of her, hand extended in the old tradition, "Would you care to dance ma'am?"

She placed her fingertips gently into his palm, and with the slightest pressure rose to her feet. "I would love to sir." she said as he lead her out onto the dance floor. With a theatrical flourish he pulled her into the standard starting position for the old earth dances.

He stopped suddenly when he realized how close they were standing. Close enough to run his finger down the side of her face. He wondered, briefly, if she’d let him. Hell, he wondered if she'd let him live if he tried it.

The strains of a new song broke through his thoughts, and he smoothly guided her through the opening moves, steering her gently through the crowd.

“I thought you said you didn’t dance?” she chastised lightly as they moved their way across the floor.

“I don’t as a rule, but someone was calling into question my gentlemanly nature, and I can't have that happen now, can I?”

“Really? Is that so?”

He stepped up beside her, close enough to feel the heat she radiated, he fingered the loops on the dress waistband and pulled her closer. “Yeah, that’s so.”

~*~

It took a minute for her to realize the stories weren't true. He was an excellent dancer, a comfort that was born with practice. “I think you misrepresented yourself doctor.”

“Hmm?” he murmured distractedly and increased the pressure on her back, bringing them even closer together.

She leaned back slightly, "I said, you lied to me."

"Never," he smiled one of the good ones, the kind that made his eyes sparkle. "I wouldn't dare face the wrath of Christine Chapel."

It was entirely possible that at that point she leaned in a little to close. And it was also reasonable to assume that he knowingly steered them into a sheltered corner of the make shift dance floor. But however it happened, they found themselves alone in the darkened corner of the dimly lit beach, too close to be friends, way to near to be professional, pressed up against each other, music beating their ears, warm sultry heat all around them.

It was a no win situation. Too far gone.

Too far in to go back.

She could feel the music against her back, the pulsing beat of the drums through the thin wall of the beach hut. When he pressed her a half step further, the world faded away from her completely. All that was left was the feeling of him against her and the echo of the drums as blood rushed through her body in time to the music.

Jesus Christ, was he nuzzling her? What an interesting turn of events, she thought, and then was quickly lost in the sensation of his rough end-of-day stubble rubbing down from her ear to her cheek.

She leaned left, slightly out of his reach and was rewarded by a completely McCoy like growl, teasing on the night air and a thoroughly punished neck in retaliation. She ran her fingers through his hair, urging him closer. She wondered, briefly, if the wall would hold them both if she wanted to wrap her legs around him and pull him even closer, but he pulled back before she had the chance to find out.

"God, Christine...tell me this is okay." he whispered roughly against her skin, his breath cooling and setting fire to her at the same time.

She pulled his head back so she could look directly at him, "I wouldn't be out here otherwise." That must have been the correct answer because before she could register anything else her arms were clasped over her head and he was assaulting her mouth with the same passion that he had been using on her neck, and- good lord the man could kiss. Her knees started to go weak with the thought of what else he could do with the combination of very talented hands and mouth.

"You're driving me crazy tonight Chapel." he let go of her wrists and fingered the thin straps of her dress.

She shivered under his touch, and willed her legs to hold her up. "Everyone drives you crazy Doctor."

"You're doing it exceptionally efficiently tonight though," he continued his slow exploration down the side of her dress, skimming the sides of her breast giving her goose bumps despite the hot night air. Oh good lord the things those fingers could do. "How about we continue the celebrations somewhere a little more private?"

She grabbed hand and pushed them off of the wall, "Yes, yes. Go, go." He had reduced her to incoherent monosyllables but she didn't care as long as there was the promise that it would continue.

He threaded his fingers through hers and hurried them down the path, towards their rooms, where they danced a different dance in the moonlight.

~The End~


End file.
